Multifunction apparatus for execution of exercises of strengthening of muscle systems

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for dyeing and/or washing delicate garments includes a body equipped with a dyeing bath containment basin. Within the dyeing basin, there is a drum hinged to a rotational hollow shaft provided with a lot of bath movement paddles. Internal to the drum, there is a basket whose rotational axis is housed inside the hollow shaft of the drum where a pulley is keyed to the rotational hollow shaft of the drum and a pulley is keyed to the rotational axis of the basket. Each pulley is conventionally moved by belts with independent electric motors in such a way that the movement of the drum and the movement of the basket are independent.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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REFERENCE TO AN APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON COMPACT DISC

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is an apparatus for dyeing and/or washing delicate garments.

The invention, finds particular but not exclusive application in the field of the production of devices for dyeing and/or washing fabric, particularly fabric and garments made with delicate fabric.

2. Description of Related Art including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98

Dyeing techniques for fabric and yarns have been known and diffused for some time. In extreme synthesis, the dyeing process bestows a color different from the one that would be the natural color of the yarn or fabric, transferring the coloring from the dye bath to the fiber, so as to distribute it uniformly and steadily fix it. The state of the art provides different dyeing possibilities according to the fact that the dyeing is respectively performed: on patch, on fiber, on paste, on yarn or on garment. Substantially, the dyeing process “on patch” consists of dyeing the fabric once its weaving phase is completed. As for the dyeing process “on fiber”, the painting is carried out on tapes of fibers later coupled, ironed and submitted to spinning. The dyeing process “on paste”, that occurs on chemical fibers, sees that the dyeing is carried out adding some colored pigments to the paste to be extruded in such a way that, after the extrusion, colored yarns are obtained. In the dyeing process “on yarn”, the yarn itself, wound in reel or in skein, is provided for submission to the dyeing operation so as to obtain the homogenous coloring of the yarn itself. Finally, the dyeing process “on garment”, at present obtaining results with scarce value, provides immersing off-the-pegs in a dye bath. Referring to the off-the-peg dyeing, particularly of items in wool such as sweater or outerwear, the results of the current dyeing processes are revealed to be not cost effective because of the noteworthy difficulties encountered for obtaining a quality finished product.

In the present state of the art, with reference to knitted garments, the dyeing methods substantially are of three kinds. A first method provides the dyeing of the finished garment by means of the use of machines conventionally defined of the “Dutch” type. Substantially such machines consist of oval shaped baths inside of which the dyeing bath is circulated through a predisposed paddle moving mechanism which allows the garments immersed in the dyeing bath to follow the impressed circulation movement. The dyeing process “on yarn” substantially provides for the use of two technologies of a different kind, according to which the dyeing of the yarn occurs when the same is wound in reel or in skeins. If the dyeing of the yarn occurs when the same is wound in reels, the arrangement of the reels to be dyed are in suitable pressurized autoclaves where the dyeing bath is moved and forcibly circulated between the reels to be dyed. The dyeing method providing for the use of skeins is particularly employed in the tinting of wool yarns of the thin and delicate type. Substantially, the yarn skeins, aligned in rows, are set inside suitable cabinets being sustained by suitable rods, where the dyeing bath is forcibly circulated between the arranged skeins.

Another used process is providing for the dyeing of the woollen fabric in opened or tubular fabric. To carry out such a type of working, an autoclave is used, inside of which the material to be dyed in the form of contiguously seamed “patches” forming a sort of rope seamed at the ends is placed circulating in the dyeing bath as well as the material to be dyed. Substantially, the fabric in the form of head-tail seamed rope is closed on the outside of a reel and, by means of the rotational motion of the reel, the rope of fabric is moved in the area of the autoclave following a forced circuit. The reel is placed on the upper part of said forced circuit, and just before the injection point of the dyeing bath is located in such a way that the fabric is colored passing through such point. The dyeing bath is provided for placement in the underside of the autoclave and part of it circulates together with the fabric. The injection of the bath in the dyeing point usually occurs by means of circulation pumps or systems conventionally defined as a “jet”.

Prior Art

In the known present state of the art, there are multiple traceable solutions in patent literature about machines or improvements to machines for dyeing yarns and/or fabrics with particular reference to the solutions with a basket for the positioning of the material to be treated. Merely as an example, a first solution can be found in EP1295689 (Steiner) in which an apparatus for coloring woolen fabric is described. Synthetically, the wool fabric coloring device is expected to be provided with a device for the entry of the wool, a device for the entry of the dye and a water output device. Furthermore, the apparatus is expected to be equipped with a drum with an entry and an exit at opposite ends of the cylindrical body of the drum. Moreover, the cylindrical wall of the drum is expected to be internally provided with a spiral which provides for the movement of the wool from the entry end to the exit end of the drum.

A second solution is described in US2002/0017118 (Held et al.) in which a type of drum for a fabric dyeing machine is illustrated. In short, the solution provides a drum subdivided in sections according to a radial partition. The provided partitions are connected to the walls of the drum through narrow perforated walls through which the dyeing liquid is discharged. The wall of the drum and the provided partitions on the contrary have no perforations. Said partitions are connected to a perforated pipe placed at the center of the drum through which the introduction of the dyeing liquid is provided.

A third proposed solution can be found in WO2004/044300 (Arizzi) in which a machine for treating fabric immersed in a bath is described, particularly for the dyeing of clothes. Briefly put, the machine includes a rotating drum defining a charging compartment in which the clothes to be treated are placed, where further a sealing closed outer wall is present in order to avoid letting the dyeing bath exit.

Another solution is present in JP2004060107 (Takigawa) in which a rotating drum type apparatus for treating textile fibers is described. The declared aim of the invention aims to realize a delicate dyeing bath without the use of a pump for the movement of the dyeing bath itself. In a few words, the claimed apparatus provides for the charging of the apparatus itself with the textile fibers to be treated with the dyeing within a first drum similar to an internal cylinder rotationally installed relatively to a horizontal shaft in an external drum. The solution provides a lot of paddles for the liquid collection interposed between the internal drum and the external drum in a block at the rear end of the internal drum. Furthermore, there are a number of accumulation projections, by means of a special opening, being in communication with said liquid collection paddles and extending for almost the whole length of the inside wall of the drum and there are also accumulation elements. The accumulation elements are provided with a lot of openings placed at the upside of the accumulation elements, where the same are actuated in order to allow the release of the accumulated liquid with the rotational motion of the drum in order to constitute a cascade fall mechanism of the liquid.

All these things considered it is therefore reasonable to consider known:

-   -   fabric dyeing apparatuses provided with a perforated moving         basket in a dyeing bath;     -   fabric dyeing apparatuses provided with an internal moving         basket and an external basket; and     -   fabric dyeing apparatuses provided with devices in order to         obtain a cascade effect.

Drawbacks

All said solutions have, though in different measures, drawbacks and/or limitations.

A first characteristic limitation of all of the known solutions for fabric dying apparatuses consists of the present impossibility to proceed to a quality dyeing of the outerwear and in particular of the finished garment made with delicate fabric such as, for example, wool.

A second limitation, also involving all of the known solutions for fabric dying apparatuses, in the opinion of the applicant, consists of the verified difficulty of dyeing finished garments, particularly if they are made using delicate fabric. In fact, it has been noticed that at present it is impossible to eliminate the disadvantage given by the mechanical action exercised by the movement of the fabric against the walls of the basket with consequent abrasion problems, anomalous tensioning of yarns, matting, permanent creases formation and possible formation of “striations”.

Another limitation consists of the fact that the known current solutions for fabric dying apparatuses not obtaining noteworthy results on finished garments determine a considerable lengthening of the confection time of the garment often creating problems related to the stock remnants of dyed yarns or fabrics with negative consequent repercussions regarding the overall costs of the product.

It is therefore necessary for the enterprises of the field to find optimal solutions to obtain the following set aims.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other aims are reached by this invention according to the characteristics as set by the included claims, solving the abovementioned problems by means of an apparatus for dyeing and/or washing delicate garments. The apparatus includes a body equipped with a dyeing bath containment basin within which there is a drum hinged to a rotational hollow shaft and provided with a lot of bath movement paddles. Internal to the drum, there is a basket whose rotational axis is housed inside the hollow shaft of the drum where a pulley is keyed to the rotational hollow shaft of the drum as well as to the rotational axis of the basket. Each pulley is conventionally moved by means of belts by independent electric motors in such a way that the movement of the drum and the movement of the basket are independent.

Aims

By means of the considerable creative contribution whose effect constitutes an immediate technical progress, different aims and advantages are achieved.

A first advantageous aim consists of the realization of an apparatus for dyeing and/or washing delicate garments thanks to innovative structuring. A finished garment with optimal dyeing can be realized, particularly in the case in which the finished garment has been made using delicate fabric.

A second advantageous aim consists of the realization of an apparatus for dyeing and/or washing delicate garments with the innovative structuring, which allows for the solving of the prior art problems regarding the dyeing and/or washing of delicate garments, particularly preventing the characteristic drawbacks allowing for the avoidance of the mechanical rubbing of the garment and the consequent arising damages, as well as avoiding the dyeing or washing process's causing damages to the garment made with delicate fibers due to the occurring of an anomalous tensioning of yarns rather than to problems concerning matting, forming of permanent creases or due to the formation of striations of anomalous coloring.

A third advantageous aim consists of the realization of an apparatus for dyeing and/or washing delicate garments with the innovative structuring which obtains an optimal dyeing of woolen garments or garments made with other delicate fibers, as well as of those made knitted and items in fabric.

One more advantageous aim consists of the realization of an apparatus for dyeing and/or washing delicate garments whose innovative structuring allows for the dyeing directly on the finished garment, allowing the finishing treatments to be carried out directly on the raw fabric.

A last advantageous aim consists of the realization of an apparatus for dyeing and/or washing delicate garments whose innovative structuring remarkably reduces the processing times of the finished garment avoiding the drawbacks derived from the necessary waste of colored material following the coloring and finishing and, furthermore, allowing for the product cost to be contained.

These and other advantages will appear from the following detailed description of some preferred embodiments with the aid of enclosed schematic drawings whose embodiment details are not to be considered limiting but only illustrative.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the apparatus for the dyeing and/or washing of delicate garments regarding the invention object of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along the axis A-A of the apparatus for the dyeing and/or washing of delicate garments of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the figures, one can observe an apparatus 1 for the dyeing and/or washing of delicate garments. The base solution, as described in the disclosed example (FIG. 1 and FIG. 2), includes a weight-bearing body 2 conventionally realized in such a way as to encompass and be suitable for the allocation of the functional components of the apparatus and of the devices and controls that conventionally integrate functioning. More in detail, the body 2 is provided to comprise a basin 3 for the dyeing and/or washing bath containing. The basin 3 is conventionally provided with an opening 31 suitable for allowing the loading of the apparatus 1 with the garments to be dyed and/or washed.

Inside the provided basin 3 of the apparatus 1, there is a cylindrical drum 4 including a perforated cylindrical perimetrical wall 41 provided with a lot of through-holes on the whole surface, conventionally but not necessarily equidistantly located one with respect to the other usually, but not necessarily, being placed in parallel rows. Conventionally, the cylindrical perimetrical wall 41 is orthogonally connected and sustained by a circular bottom wall 42. The bottom wall 42 of the drum 4, at the center, has a through-hole 421. Furthermore, the bottom wall 42 of the drum 4, in order to make rotational motion of the same possible, keys a rotational hollow shaft 43.

The hollow shaft 43, in the drum 4, is to be placed at a shaft-carrying body 21, which is in the body 2 of the apparatus 1. The provided shaft-carrying body 21 realizes a passing-through housing 211, conventionally realized in such a way that it is able to allow the axial holding of the hollow shaft 43 regarding the drum 4, where the holding of the hollow shaft 43 to the shaft-carrying body 21 occurs by means of the interposition of conventional friction reduction devices, such as antifriction bearings 5. The obtained housing 211 of the shaft-carrying body 21 of the body 2 is such that it is centrally positioned relatively to the back wall 31 of the basin 3, in such a way that the drum 4 is centered relatively to the basin 3 itself, the basin 3, in the example, being shaped in such a way as to be cylindrical.

In order to be able to give the drum 4 a rotational movement, that can be clockwise or counterclockwise, there is a pulley 6, keyed at the rear end of the hollow shaft 43, opposite the end connected to the bottom wall 42, conventionally keyed to the hollow shaft 43. Indifferently, the rotational motion of the drum can be carried out also by means of different conventional systems for the transmission of the motion to the hollow shaft 43 such as, for example, gears. The cylindrical perimetrical wall 41 of the drum 4 has, at the internal surface, a series of paddles 44 which, in the example described as preferred embodiment, are identically shaped, radially arranged, each of them extending for the entire length of the cylindrical perimetrical wall 41 itself.

More in detail, each paddle 44 is shaped in such a way as to be shaped as a rectangular plate, where each paddle 44 is to be positioned parallel with respect to the contiguous paddle 44. However, there is also the possibility for each paddle 44 profile to be shaped differently with respect to the rectangular shape provided in the basic solution, likewise the reciprocal positioning of each paddle 44 may also not be parallel. Moreover, there is the possibility for the provided paddles 44 to also be arranged so that not all of them are on the same plane being positioned in a scalar way and/or alternative scalar way.

Internally to the drum 4, axially to the same, there is a cylindrical basket 7, able to contain the garments to be treated, shaped in such a way as to comprise a cylindrical wall 71 conventionally perforated in order to allow the passage of the dyeing and/or washing liquid, at the external edge of which there is an orthogonal closed circular bottom 72. Opposite to this circular bottom 72 conventionally, there is a front wall 73 with a central opening 731. The central opening 731 has, near the edge, a protruding reinforcing edge 732 in such a way that through the provided central opening 731, the loading of the basket 7 with the garments to be treated is conventionally allowed.

Centrally joined to the circular bottom 72 of the basket 7, there is a rotational axis 74 for the support and the movement of the basket 7. More in detail, the axis 74 of the basket 7, by means of the interposition of conventional friction reduction devices, such as some antifriction bearings 5, is placed internally to the hollow shaft 43 of the drum 4. The axis 74 of the basket 7 is provided to be centered relatively to the inside of the hollow shaft 43 in such a way that, on its part, the basket 7 is centered relative to the drum 4. Furthermore, the axis 74 of the basket 7 has a length which is relatively greater than the length of the hollow shaft 43 in such a way that the rear end of the axis 74 itself on the side protrudes from the hollow shaft 43 of the drum 4. In order to be able to give the basket 7 a rotational motion, which is established to be possibly both in clockwise as anti-clockwise, a pulley 6, conventionally keyed to the axis 74, is provided to be keyed at the end of the axis 74 exiting from the hollow shaft 43 of the drum 4. In the same way as provided for the drum 4, indifferently the rotational motion of the basket 7 is provided to be able to be made also by means of different, conventional systems for the transmission of the motion such as, for example, gears. As the rotational motion of the drum 4 and as the rotational motion of the basket 7 are allowed by means of independent electric motors, each of them are connected to the related pulley 6, in the embodiment example described, conventionally by means of driving-belts.

Furthermore, the cylindrical wall 71 of the basket 7 internally has protrusive walls 75 radially arranged conventionally being shaped in such a way that the orthogonal section of the same is shaped as a trapezium and that they are equidistantly placed the one from the other whether or not being perforated. In the preferred solution that will be described, the distance between the cylindrical perimetrical wall 41 of the drum 4 and the cylindrical wall 71 of the basket 7 is provided to preferably be contained between 5 and 10 centimeters, while the distance between the cylindrical perimetrical wall 41 of the drum 4 and the circular wall of the basin 3 is provided to preferably be 3 centimeters.

Furthermore, the apparatus 1 is provided to have, mounted externally to the machine body, a heat exchanger consisting of a plate provided with a series of pipes inside of which a fluid at a controlled temperature is circulated, whose provided heat exchanger is placed outside at the underside of a wall of the body 2 in order to be able, by means of thermal conduction, to heat or cool the dyeing bath.

Operatively, the basin 3 contains the dyeing bath whose level is such as to reach at least the lower end of the basket 7. The dyeing bath circulation is ensured by means of the rotation of the drum 4 that, preferably rotating at a rotational speed between 150 and 200 revolutions per minute, allows, thanks to the action of the paddles 44 with which the drum 4 itself is provided, to generate a bath vortex in such a way that the dyeing liquid is pushed by the drum 4 itself towards the walls of the basin 3. The basin 3 generates a counter-pressure effect of the dyeing liquid in such a way that the same will be repelled inwardly being forced toward the drum 4 and the basket 7. As a consequence of the effect generated by the rotation of the drum 4, the dyeing bath will be forced to go beyond both the cylindrical perimetrical wall 41 of the drum 4, as the cylindrical wall 71 of the basket 7 so as to create a shower effect able to penetrate the fibers of the contained garments in the basket 7 itself, though the item remaining substantially still. However, in order to allow for the minimum movement of the garments, the possibility for the basket 7 to be allowed a slow rotational motion is provided, directed in the same or in the opposite direction with respect to the rotational motion in the drum 4. 

1. Multifunction apparatus for execution of exercises of strengthening of muscle systems, the apparatus comprising: a main frame being metallic and having a parallelepiped shape, said main frame being provided with a support base with feet, the feet forming a footboard supporting four quadrangular columns, two columns being in front, two columns being in back, and two cylindrical columns, having high ends of columns connected by tubular elements, the tubular elements having a quadrangular cross section and being connected between the tubular elements; and two movable frames, each having a rectangular shape and being formed by two tubular elements, the elements being vertical, parallel and hollow and inserted along said cylindrical columns, each frame transversely supporting two pairs of horizontal and parallel bars at low and high ends of each frame, wherein vertical movement of the tubular elements and the cylindrical columns causes a parallel translation of pairs of horizontal bars in relation to the two moving frames, hooking one or more pairs of supports that support swing-wheels.
 2. Multifunction apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the front cylindrical columns are provided in front of circular holes, at equal distance, having pins inserted therein, fixing each of the two moving frames at a determined height along columns, thus avoiding movement.
 3. Multifunction apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising: a pulley system at a center of a frame, having a moving element receiving disks, a pair of vertical bars, a pulley system lifting of a moving element by traction of bars.
 4. The multifunction apparatus as in claim 3, wherein said moving element is comprised of a pair of tube shaped cables moving along vertical rods and by cylindrical bars.
 5. The multifunction apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising: another frame on a central element, being provided with vertical bars apt to limit, towards a low part, vertical displacements of the moving element.
 6. Multifunction apparatus as claim 1, wherein the back cylindrical columns are provided with two or more pairs of rods, connected perpendicular to the same columns.
 7. Multifunction apparatus as in claim 1, wherein, at the back of each of the vertical bars, a pair of springs are provide, the springs supporting a swing-wheel in a vertical position.
 8. The multifunction apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising: supports for swing-wheels being formed by a rectangular plate bent at 90°, a horizontal bracket and hammering element being provided, said hammering element, being above mentioned the bracket and provided with an end bent toward high side, a strengthening bar being located transversely between bracket and hammering element, a hook connecting, at the end, a support swing-wheel moving elements (500). 